Inflatable penile prosthesis as tissue expander: what is the evidence?

Area of Science:

• Urology
• Andrology
• Medical Devices

Background:

• Inflatable penile prosthesis (IPP) replacement often involves upsizing cylinders.
• This suggests IPPs might act as tissue expanders, potentially increasing internal penile length.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate if cylinder length increases with subsequent IPP insertion over time.

Main Methods:

• Retrospective analysis of IPP placement and replacement data (2004-2013).
• Patients grouped by device type and time to replacement (<2 or ≥2 years).
• Analysis focused on the 2-year mark to assess tissue expansion.

Main Results:

• 2,749 patients analyzed (AMS 700 LGX, CX; Coloplast Titan).
• Replacement at <2 years showed no significant length increase.
• Replacement at ≥2 years demonstrated significant mean cylinder length increases (0.9-1.2 cm), similar across devices.

Conclusions:

• Inflatable penile prosthesis (IPP) insertion may facilitate penile tissue expansion over time.
• Further research is needed to link increased cylinder length to functional length and patient satisfaction.